


When We Were Kids

by thearkenstxne



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan)
Genre: F/M, It gets darker, Ledger!Joker, More tags later, The Dark Knight - Freeform, This Is Super Cute At First
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 00:05:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11219061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thearkenstxne/pseuds/thearkenstxne
Summary: Jasmine's best friend growing up was the Joker. They were inserperable. But what happens when they come face to face the night of Harvey Dent's party?





	1. Chapter 1

I held my breath, not wanting to give away my hiding spot as my best friend walked by. He called my name, teasing me, and I bit back a giggle. Then, just as he turned away from me, I leapt out and yelled in an attempt to scare him.

  
J yelped and turned towards me, his eyes wide. "Jasmine, geez, don't do that!"

  
I laughed, shoving him. "Ha, I gotcha."

  
"Oh, shut up." He muttered, rolling his eyes. J was eleven years old and I was ten, but he was at that stage where he didn't like girls much. Except me. I was his best friend.

  
"What do you wanna play now, J?" I asked, glancing around the park. It was not too crowded, which meant we could be loud. Then my eyes widened. "Ooh, let's play cops and robbers!" I blurted, shaking his arm wildly.

  
His face lit up. "How about cops and murderers?" He suggested, his eyes gleaming. "I'll get you!" He playfully growled, reaching out towards me. I shrieked in laughter and ran away. He chased me, making zombie noises for some reason.

I glanced behind me towards him, but suddenly tripped, landing hard on my knees.

  
"Ow!" I cried, sitting back on my butt and looking at my knee. There was a cut and as I watched, it began to bleed.

  
"Jasmine!" J gasped as he ran up to me. "Are you okay?"

  
I began to tear up, not from the pain, but rather from embarrassment. "It hurts." I whispered, the tears slipping down my cheeks.

  
"It's okay!" He comforted, his eyes wide. "Don't cry!" J hated seeing girls cry.

  
I sniffed, trying to force my tears to stop. "Okay." I mumbled.

  
"Jasmine!" A voice cried. We both looked up to see my mother hurrying over to us. "Oh, sweetheart, let's get you home!" She pulled me up, giving J a glare. She didn't like him. She thought he was a bad influence.

  
"Bye, J!" I called, as she yanked me home. He gave me a wave, with a small smile.

  
My mom looked down at me. "How many times do I have to tell you, do not play with that boy!"

  
"He's my best friend!" I whined, my injury all but forgotten.

  
"I don't care!" She snapped. "You are never playing with him again!"

At that, I started crying again, not stopping this time.

  
*a few years later*

  
I trudged home from school, clutching several of my books to my chest. Today had not been a good day. I went to Gotham High School and for some reason, I was relentlessly teased. I came from an upper class family, but to the students at my school, that was something to be made fun of about. I sighed, pushing those thoughts aside.

Suddenly there was the sound of glass shattering and I glanced up nervously. I was walking through one of the worse neighborhoods of town and I always got scared around here. I shifted my books closer to me, keeping my head down. Then a group of boys about my age burst out of the alley up ahead. I sucked in a breath, snapping my head up and looking at them. They seemed harmless enough, just a bunch of teen boys who thought they were all that.

As I studied them, I realized one of them looked eerily familiar. The boy was tall, with strong arms and a rather gentle face. However, he was marred with scars, two jagged lines tracing his cheeks. He looked up and over at me, chocolaty brown eyes meeting mine, and I gasped loudly. 

It was J. My best friend from my childhood.

My gasp drew all their attention and one of the other boys let out a whistle. I was frozen to the spot, still clutching my books to me in an effort to stay grounded. J was still watching me and he murmured something that sent the rest of the guys into laughter, but they all left, goofing off.

  
"Jasmine?" He called softly. I was still not moving, so he approached me slowly, as if afraid I'd run away from him.

  
"J." I whispered. "Oh my god, what happened to you?" I finally said in a normal voice, snapping myself out of my trance. I dropped my books, unsure of what to do with my hands now.

  
J stopped, standing right next to me now. "What do you mean?" He asked in a cold voice that I didn't recognize.

  
"Your face? What happened?" I asked, my eyes wide. I couldn't believe how much he'd changed. He was so old now. He was a lot taller than me, and he was extremely handsome. His hair was longer than it'd been when we were kids and it hung in his face, like he was trying to hide his scars.

  
He cleared his throat, looking down at our feet. "Uh, I've just been through a lot." He replied, his voice losing its coldness and being replaced by a boyish tone. J glanced up and gave me a quick grin. "You look really different." He stated, studying me.

  
I let out a breathless laugh. "So do you. I mean, I used to be taller than you."

  
He chuckled, a warm sound that I'd missed. "Not anymore, I guess."

  
"Yeah, geez." I murmured, smiling nervously.

  
"Geez." He repeated, still looking at me. "I haven't seen you since that day in the park."

  
I nodded. "Hey, you know, I have a scar from when I fell." I said, not really thinking about what I was saying. He raised an eyebrow. "So, I guess we both have scars now." I continued. Then I turned bright red, hoping I didn't offend him. "Oh, god, that sounded really inconsiderate, I didn't mean—"

  
"Jasmine, it's okay." He laughed, shaking his head.

  
I was still red. "How'd you get them?" I asked, my eyes wide.

  
He shrugged. "Bad people." He replied, seeming indifferent.

Before I could stop myself, I raised my hand and traced his cheek gently. The scar was not clean cut and there were ridges and bumps in it.

  
Then, sucking in a breath, I yanked my hand away. "Sorry." I shook my head. "I should go. If I'm not home by a certain time, my mom'll call the cops to report me as missing."

  
J had been frozen as I touched his cheek, but he cracked a smile at that. "Your mom's still the same, huh?"

  
"Worse." I replied, kneeling down and grabbing my books. "I brought home a boy once and she literally had the butler escort him out with a note saying to not come back."

  
I thought he'd laugh at that, but he frowned. "You have a boyfriend then?" He asked gruffly.

  
"No." I laughed, shaking my head. I raised an eyebrow. "Why, you jealous or something?" I teased gently.

  
J looked at me. "Yeah, I was actually." He replied, causing a warm flush to go through me. Damn. He was so attractive now, wasn't he?

  
"Do you have a girlfriend?" I asked as casually as I could.

  
He smirked, causing his already handsome face to turn achingly attractive. "Nope. Girls are too much work."

  
I raised an eyebrow, fighting off a smile. "Oh, well, in that case, I'll just go." I replied, beginning to walk away.

  
There was a curse and then a pause.

  
"Jasmine, wait up!" He finally called, hurrying after me.

  
I turned, holding my books in one hand, while the other I placed on my hip. "But I thought girls were too much work."

  
He flashed me a half-grin. "I was just joking."

  
"Mhmm." I hummed, raising my eyebrows. "Well, you're a real joker, I guess."

  
"You betcha, Jazz." J chuckled, using my childhood nickname. He stopped laughing, but smiled down at me. "Let me walk you home."

  
"Oh, no it's okay, I—"

  
"C'mon." He nudged me. "It'll be just like old times."

  
I smiled. "Alright." I relented, giving in to his puppy face. He took my books for me and we started off, just like when we were kids.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long chapter bc I just wanted to finish the story up so enjoy!! A/N: there's some cursing in this chapter just as a heads up!! If you like this short fanfiction please comment or leave kudos!!

Everyday when I walked home from school, he'd be waiting for me, and we'd walk to my house together. I hadn't realized how much I missed him. Back when we were kids, there had always been a sort of a playful rivalry between us, but that was gone. Now, there was a sort of tension and as we got closer again, we began flirting. He was definitely different though. He had a dark side, but I hardly ever saw it.

  
Then one day, I had a horrible day at school. The teasing had become full on bullying and one of my tormentors was following me home, throwing insults at my back. His name was Sam Peters and he was an absolute jerk.

  
"What's wrong, bitch, going home to cry to your fucking mommy?" He taunted, a few feet behind me.

  
I was indeed crying, but he didn't have to know. "Fuck off, Sam." I said over my shoulder. He must've been closer than I thought, since there was a harsh shove and I tumbled, dropping my books.

  
"Watch your mouth, slut." Sam hissed, standing above me.

  
Without thinking, I kicked out hard with my foot. I connected with his knee and he fell. "Keep your damn hands off me." I retorted, my tears stopping.

  
"You're gonna pay for that, you bitch." He seethed, scrambling to his feet.

  
I stood up, swallowing. Sam was a lot bigger than I was, so this was not good. "You better not touch her, douche-bag." A voice said behind me and I almost fell over in relief. It was J. I turned to see him walking towards us with a murderous look on his face.

  
Sam snorted. "Should I be scared of you, scar face?"

  
"You have no idea." J snarled, actually terrifying me. Sam chuckled, but was cut off by J's fist slamming into his face. Before he even had a chance to recover, J was on top of him, bashing his face in. "Don't ever touch her again, you hear me?" J growled, not pausing from his beating.

  
I was frozen in fear and shock. I knew J was different, but this was scary.

"P-p-please!" Sam stammered, blood covering his face, trickling to the ground.

  
J stopped punching him, but wrapped his hands around Sam's throat. "I'm going to end you." He hissed in a voice I'd never heard before.

  
That snapped me out of it. "J, stop it!" I cried, grabbing his arm, but it was like trying to bend iron. "You're going to kill him!"

  
"That's what I'm planning on, Jasmine." He replied, his voice eerily calm.

Sam's face was turning blue, but he was still struggling, which was good. I backed up, then rammed into J, throwing all of my weight into him. He didn't move too much, but it caused him to let go of Sam in order to right himself. Sam used this opportunity to scramble to his feet.

  
"You're fucking out of your mind." He mumbled to J, before turning and running like hell.

  
J was still sitting on the ground, breathing heavily. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" I yelled. "J, you could've killed him!"

  
"He hurt you." He replied softly, finally getting to his feet.

  
"That doesn't mean it's okay to kill him!" I cried, not wanting to believe this was J.

  
J's lips twitched up into a creepy smile. "So, I should've just let him hurt you?"

  
"Jesus, J." I huffed. "No, but a simple punch would've sufficed!"

  
He shrugged. "He won't hurt you again." He said nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just beaten someone to a pulp.

  
I took a shaky breath, shaking my head. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I whispered.

  
He looked up, eyes flashing. "I care about you."

  
"That's not an excuse!" I shrieked, trying not to become hysterical. "I care about you too, but—"

  
Before I could finish, J cut me off by taking a step towards me and slamming his lips on mine. I squeaked, as he cupped my cheek, stroking my skin with his thumb. I relaxed against him, tangling my hands in his hair. Too soon, he pulled away, his eyes glassy.

  
"I love you." He murmured, resting his forehead against mine.

  
I sucked in a breath. "J, I—"

  
"Goodbye, Jasmine." He cut me off, stepping away. My head was spinning from his kiss and I couldn't think straight, so I just watched as he walked away. He didn't walk me home after that.

  
*years later*

  
"Mom, I'm leaving!" I called, my voice echoing through the penthouse.

  
"Wait! I want to see what you're wearing!" My mother replied, hurrying into the room. "Oh, darling, you look beautiful!" She breathed, smiling.

I gave her a small smile. I was wearing a tight dress that went down to just above my knees. It was a deep blue and it paired nicely with my black pumps. I'd swept my hair up into a classy up do, that framed my face.

  
"Think I look nice enough for Bruce Wayne's party?" I asked, fidgeting with the edge of my dress.

  
My mother clicked her tongue. "Oh, Jasmine, don't be rude. The Wayne family goes way back with our own family." She smiled. "In fact, you and Bruce used to play together."

  
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you mean after you told me that my best friend was a horrible person and basically scarred me for life?"

  
"Jasmine, your so-called best friend is terrorizing Gotham as we speak, so I think I'm allowed to say, I told you so." She replied sharply.

I rolled my eyes, not bothering to say good-bye as I walked out. As I pulled up to the party, my chauffeur opened my door for me and I thanked him as I stepped out. I was immediately swept up in the throng of guests and I walked into the large ballroom on the top floor of the Wayne penthouse.

  
"Ah, Miss Hartround!" A voice said cheerfully.

  
I turned to see Alfred Pennysworth standing there, smiling widely at me. "Oh, Alfred!" I cried, flashing him a winning smile.

  
He nodded. "I haven't seen you a good long while, miss, and you've grown up to be an exquisite young woman."

  
I blushed. "I see you're still the exact same, Alfred."

  
"Always." Alfred chuckled, offering me a flute of champagne. I took it gratefully. "Mr. Wayne is around here somewhere, and I know he'd like to see you."

  
"I'll do my best to find him." I replied, smiling once more as the butler walked away. I scanned the crowd, when I saw a very familiar face. I rushed towards her.

"Rachel!" I cried, causing her to turn.

  
One of my oldest friends, Rachel Dawes, lit up when she saw me. "Oh my god, Jasmine!" She threw her arms around me. I hugged her tightly. "I haven't seen you in forever!" She said, pulling away and grinning.

  
"I know!" I replied, smiling.

Rachel, Bruce and I used to play with each other when we were children and the last time I'd seen Rachel was when we were in high school. "Jesus, you look so good!" I said, squeezing Rachel's hands.

  
"I was about to say the same!" She winked. "Cause, you look absolutely stunning!" Suddenly a blonde man appeared behind her. "Oh, Jasmine, this is Harvey Dent." Rachel introduced, releasing my hands and turning towards him. "Harvey, this is one of my best friends, Jasmine Hartround."

  
We shook hands, the politician I'd seen on TV smiling at me. "You would not believe how often Rachel talks about you." He chuckled. I immediately liked him. He had a friendly, warm vibe.

  
I laughed, glancing at Rachel. She shrugged. "Guilty as charged."

Harvey placed his hand on Rachel's back, murmuring something in her ear. I raised an eyebrow, biting back a smile.

  
"It was lovely to meet you, Mr. Dent, but could I steal Rachel for one moment?" I said, not waiting for a reply before I dragged Rachel away towards the drinks.

  
She glanced at me. "Something on your mind?"

  
I grinned at her suggestively. "Are you and Harvey, ya know, a thing?" I asked, winking.

  
Rachel's cheeks turned a deep shade of red. "Yes, we're a thing, Jasmine." She answered, not able to keep a smile off her face.

  
I squealed. "Yes, oh my god, I knew it!"

  
"You're so immature." Rachel teased, grinning at me. Her cheeks were still a little pink.

  
"Excuse me, but you ladies seem a little too excited." A cool voice said from behind me.

  
I turned to see my old friend, Bruce Wayne, smiling at me. "Oh. My. God. Bruce!" I gasped, throwing my arms around his neck.

  
He chuckled, squeezing me back just as tightly. "I haven't seen you in ages, Jasmine."

  
I pulled away. "Jesus, Bruce, you look so good, wow!" I laughed, smacking his arm gently. Back when we were younger, Bruce and I had flirted relentlessly with each other. It hadn't meant anything, cause he was practically a brother to me.

  
"Likewise." He replied, glancing up and down my body. "You look gorgeous."

After we'd exchanged pleasantries, Bruce steered us towards the balcony, where we talked in peace.

  
I leaned against the edge of the balcony. "So, Rachel, how's working at the DA's office?"

  
"Oh, it's amazing." Rachel replied, grinning. "I love it. Especially working with Harvey."

  
Bruce spoke up, his voice a little tense. He'd always harbored a bit of a crush on Rachel and it was apparently still there. "Well, Jasmine, I heard you're a surgeon now. That's impressive."

  
I smiled. "Thank you. It was always my calling."

  
"Yeah, you always were attracted to dark things. I guess that's why you like cutting people up." Bruce teased, shoving me gently. I shoved him back, grinning. "So, you hear about the Batman?" Bruce asked casually. I cast a sly glance at him. He raised his eyebrows at me. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked.

  
"Bruce, I know it's you." I replied quietly.

  
Rachel laughed. "See, I told you she knew!"

  
Suddenly there was a beep and Bruce pulled out his phone. "Hold on, I gotta take this." He hurried away, Rachel and I eventually heading back inside.

  
"I'm gonna go find Harvey." She told me, before disappearing into the crowd.

I wandered around, occasionally stopping to chat with people I knew. As I was talking to another millionaire, there was a loud commotion over by the elevator. Then a gunshot rang out and there were screams. I hurried away from the millionaire, trying to see what was happening, but the crowd of people pushed me back.

  
Then there was an eerily familiar voice. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" I recognized from the news. "We are tonight's entertainment!" And I recognized it because it was J. My best friend.

I was frozen to the spot, my mind blocking out everything that was happening. After J had left, I'd never seen him again. Until he'd appeared on the news, his face covered in makeup, calling himself the Joker. I'd freaked out. I had no idea what to do, until I realized, I couldn't do a damn thing. A scream snapped me out of my memories.

  
"Do you know where he is? I just wanna talk to him." The Joker questioned. "No." He growled at the crowd. His voice was still the same, but there was an undertone of unpredictability that hadn't been there before. I shoved my way to the front of the crowd and finally caught my first glimpse of the Joker. When I saw him, my breath caught in my throat. He was still the same broad-shouldered and tall man that I'd known, yet he wasn't. Something had twisted him up from the inside, leaving only this monster behind. He was still going, but I searched the throng for Rachel or Bruce.

  
"We're not intimidated by thugs!" An old man said, rather bravely, right to the Joker's face.

  
This caused the Joker to pause at the man. "You know, you remind me of my father." He said amiably. Then in a split second, he had a knife at the old man's throat. "I hated my father." The Joker snarled.

  
That was enough. Someone had to intervene and I was the only one who could. I finally pushed my way through the rest of the crowd, stumbling into the large open space that people had created, trying to stay away from him.

"That is enough!" I said sharply. That got the Joker's attention. He whirled away from the old man, focusing on me. When he looked at me, I saw recognition glimmer in his eyes. I didn't think I'd ever been so terrified in my life. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I growled. I forced myself to pretend that this was still my friend, J, the boy who'd said he loved me.

  
"Well, hello, Jasmine." The Joker said, his face eerily calm. "Long time no see, sweet." In three steps, he was standing next to me and I had to turn my chin up, in order to meet his gaze. "You're looking as gorgeous as ever." He purred. Then he grabbed me, pulling me towards him and placing a knife against my neck. I gasped, trying to pull away, but his arm was like iron. "You know, I thought I'd never see you again, love." The Joker laughed, his gloved hand forcing me to look at him.

  
"Is this how you treat every woman you love?" I hissed, still struggling against him. "You threaten to slit their throats?"

  
He smirked at me. "You'll always be the only woman I'll love." He replied, his voice low.

  
I clenched my jaw, ignoring that giddy feeling that I hadn't felt since I was in high school. "You are a damn maniac." I whispered.

  
The Joker threw his head back in laughter at that. "And you, gorgeous, are still a firecracker."

  
Suddenly a voice rang out loudly, capturing both our attention.

"Jasmine!" It was Rachel.

  
"Sorry, Jasmine's a bit busy at the moment, please come back later." The Joker replied, his voice giddy as it rose and fell. He began dragging me towards the windows and I did my best to hinder him.

Where the hell was Bruce?

  
"What are you doing?" I gasped, trying to move his arm.

  
"You're still the woman I love." He answered, his eyes gleaming maliciously. "I won't lose you again."

  
That did it for me. I stomped my foot down, smashing his own foot. He yelped, letting go of me. "In case you don't remember, Joker," I snarled harshly, placing emphasis on the word Joker. "You fucking left me, so you can crawl back from the hole you came from and get out of my life!" I yelled.

  
He was laughing at me. "Oh, you still look adorable when you're mad." He grinned, grabbing my cheek and pinching it.

  
Then there was deep voice. "Stay away from her." We both turned to see Batman, who looked incredibly intimidating.

  
Faster than I could move, the Joker grabbed me, pressing my chest against his own. I could feel his knife against my neck. "Oh, sure. You just take off that mask and show us who you really are." He teased, a lilting tone to his voice.

  
"You won't kill me." I hissed, causing him to look down at me. "If you love me so much, you wouldn't dare hurt me."

  
The Joker's head angled down, his breath brushing my ear. "Maybe so, sweet, but the rest of them don't know that." He whispered, causing a tingle to rush down my spine.

Suddenly he reached behind him and there was a gunshot, followed by glass shattering. I managed to peer over his shoulder and saw that one of the large windows was gone and there was now a gaping hole that led to a ten-story drop. The Joker started dragging me towards that and my terror mounted.

  
"What the hell are you doing?" I cried, trying to kick him, but he was holding me too tightly to him.

  
"Just do as I say, love." He replied, smirking. "When I say push, push me out the window."

  
"With pleasure." I growled in reply.

  
The Joker laughed loudly. "Well, this had definitely been a night to remember, but I must be going." He looked down at me, grabbing my chin. "I'm going to find you again, I swear." He snarled to me softly, making chills go through me.

Before I could react, he slammed his lips on mine and I whimpered. When he pulled away, he winked at me and I didn't even think before shoving him out the window.

Everyone gasped and surged forward, expecting to see his dead body, but the Joker had disappeared.

I just stared, his makeup smeared across my face, unable to comprehend what was wrong with my old best friend.


End file.
